Sheer Delight

Sucking in a lung full of air Harper shook her head wondering why she had thought this was a good idea. Sneaking into an infamous feeding club, Kiev's club. The sneaking in part was surprisingly easy, Harper rounded the back of the building and entered with a group of women. Following them into the back room where an endless racks of sultry and provocative lingerie adjourned the large room. It took some digging but she had found an outfit that wasn't too revealing.

Glancing down at the ivory satin gown against her smooth skin Harper grimaced. The bodice was a sheer laced design that thankfully covered her breasts, just barely in the flimsy fabric. Thin spaghetti straps hung on her shoulders, the back of the gown dipped midway down her back, stopping inches above her hips. The front of the gown however was less modest. Twin slits split the satin fabric along her thighs, the peak of skin wasn't too bad until she moved. The silky fabric slid against her smooth skin and revealed her inner thigh. Thankfully she had the sense to keep her panties on unlike her bra which she had to discard earlier along with her camera. Harper hoped her belongings were where she had left them. Luckily she managed to slip her phone beneath the hem of her panties.

The difficult part hadn't been getting dressed beside two dozen women, or running a styler through her hair as if she actually cared or as how she allowed one of the women to apply a smokey mocha toned eyeshadow on her eyes or even as she doused Harper in a shimmery gold powder that had her resembling a goddess. Oh no the hardest part was stepping out of the back and into the den of the lion.

Swallowing hard Harper pressed herself further against the wall as the possibility of being caught flashed through her mind. This was risky and if she was being honest with herself she was terrified. She didn't know what lay awaiting her beyond these walls, what kinds of creatures came to a feeding club in the late afternoon. Or if he was here.

"What are you doing?"

The harshness of the voice startled Harper, she jumped a hand falling across her heart. With her eyes wide Harper struggled to compose her reaction as she realized she recognized the woman before her. Much like the first time Harper met the woman when Kiev brought her to 'entertain' his customers the woman was wearing a black leather bodysuit, the zipper in between her chest half undone revealing an eye full of cleavage. Her long dark hair pulled into a high ponytail adding more attention to her cool blue eyes, her thin lips painted a bright red.

"I was just taking a moment to catch my breath." Harper replied, her hands clenched at her sides.

  The woman tilted her head upwards, lips pursed as she looked Harper over with distain. "You're new aren't you?"

"I-I.."

"I can tell by the look of fear in your eyes and that." She pointed to the gown her lip curling in disgust.

  Taken back by what Harper assumed was an insult she glanced down at the gown knowing that it was a bit ugly but at least she was almost, mostly-sort of covered.

"All the new girls pick that thing on their first day." The woman added with a shudder. "Since I don't know you I'm guessing the boss hired you."

  Grasping the opportunity before her Harper nodded. With a sigh the woman waved her hand motioning for Harper to follow along after her as she started out into the darkened center room beside the entrance. The large platform sat dap smack into the midst of the entire club, three sets of steel poles attached to the ceiling, a large C shaped velvet booth circling the stage merely inches away. A row of tiny twinkling red lights lined the pillars on either side of the platform, the area shrouded in a soft darkness that added attention to the many tiny lights adjourning that section. It was all intimate, very dark and seductive without the added extravagance that the VIP rooms upstairs had.

There were already a handful of women occupying the stage, some twirling on the stage in barely any clothing on and others spinning on the glimmering pole. They were different in height, size and just about every other aspect but each female held the same confidence and hypnotizing sexiness that held any and all onlookers into a trance. Harper included.

Her eyes followed a curvier female as she ran her hands across her bare hips, pausing by the glittery fabric covering her womanhood. Her eyes were closed shut, her lips parted as she fell into the music and pulled everyone into her sexual dancing. Harper noticed a few male clients sliding forward in their seats, even a few females were pulled into a trance. Hell even Harper had taken a step closer.

"Try not staring straight at her, she's a mermaid."

  Blinking confusingly Harper shook her head as the hypnotic spell broke.

  The woman lead her to the other side of the stage. "We like to keep her out in front to lure in curious clients."

  Nodding Harper lowered her gaze both to avoid being sucked into another trance and in shame. She should have known the dancer was a mermaid, she studied the predatory behaviors of supernatural creatures at the age of ten. Stay sharp, a voice echoed in her head. She couldn't afford to forget important information like that again. Any other dangerous creature could easily lure her away and discover her true identity and the ending in that situation would depend on whether or not the clientele here enjoyed killing Hunters or allowing her people to.

  Swallowing past the paralyzing fear Harper steeled her shoulders despite her underlying fear. All she had to do was dance until she had the opportunity to slip away and find Olivia, just a few minutes.

  Harper swept her gaze over the small crowd and gave a long sniff for any danger. It seemed the majority here were mixed races which luckily for her would conceal her true scent for while. That would have to be long enough until she could slip away unnoticed.

"You'll work the front till I see if your good enough to stay here." The woman in the leather bodysuit sighed seeming annoyed by Harper's curious gaze. "It's mostly wolves today so it shouldn't be too hard to grab their attention but I'd try hiding the fear darling, we've got a few sadistic fückers here who would love to rip you in two."

"I'll be fine." Harper assured her with a shaky smile.

  Pursuing her lips the woman looked her over. "If it's too much just hop off the stage and get in the back where it's safe. Kiev would kill me if I got you killed on your first day."

  His name had Harper's spine stiffening. Would he care if he knew just who the new girl was? Or would he thank the person who killed her for him? The thought alone had her tilting her chin up, her eyes narrowing as a determination coursed through her veins. She wasn't going to die, not by theses people or Kiev.

"I'll keep that in mind." Harper responded and made her way up the short stairs.

   Sucking in a lung full of air Harper surveyed the crowd as she wrapped her fingers around one of the steel poles. Tilting her head upwards she gathered all the courage she could and started to sway her hips from side to side. Her free hand swirled in mid air to the slow rhythm as she attempted to fall in step with the other dancers. Relax, it's just like dancing in a club.

  Puffing out an uneven breath Harper lowered her head when she saw Olivia exiting one of the rooms upstairs. Two women accompanied her, rubbing her back as they guided her down the stairs.

"Shake your ass!"

  The harsh tone caused Harper to glance down at the first row of people before her where a large man sat scowling at her. His clear sky blue eyes pierced through her, his lips pressed flat together as he leaned forward in his seat. He was large, shoulders wide and broad, arms bulging against the gray T-shirt he wore, his legs stretched out on either side him indicating he was extremely tall as well.

   A dark snarl bubbled on the tip of her tongue but she managed to push the urge aside and flashed him a sultry smile recalling she had to play the part of a dancer if she wanted to see just what Olivia was doing here. With that thought Harper twirled around the pole, her bare feet moving beneath the silky dress as it brushed against her skin. Turning her back towards the man Harper bent her knees and did as he asked and shook her butt as she dipped her upper half downwards. Even as she shimmed and shook her butt Harper's eyes never left Olivia as she stepped into the lower floor, noticing the small baggie clutched tightly in her hand as the two redheads led her towards the exit.

  Harper's brows pulled together as she glanced upwards to where Olivia came from. Who did she meet up there?

"Yeah." The man behind her bellowed loudly, obviously pleased with the view.

  Ignoring the stranger Harper turned her gaze back to Olivia when a figure materialized before her sister. A gasp tore from her lips, her body coming to an abrupt halt with her bent from the waist her ass sticking out towards a row of strangers. No. Harper's blood froze in her veins as she watched in disbelief as her sister stood beside the very man who had attacked her not too long ago. With wide eyes file,d with shock Harper scanned the man from head to toe almost wishing she was wrong when she recognized his long thick dreadlocks or that predatory glint in his eyes as he spoke to Olivia. But she couldn't ignore the small scar trailing across his eye where she had shoved her heel. It was him.

Like a stone in a lake her heart sank when Olivia didn't attempt to move away as he motioned for the two redheads to move along. The seemingly identical females shared a look of concern and confusion before the one on the right said something to Olivia. With a shake of her head Olivia pressed the small baggie closer to her midsection and gave the women a reassuring smile that seemed to convince them to walk away from the man in dreadlocks and Olivia. Sending a silent prayer for this to be some kind of mistake Harper straightened ready to jump off the stage and run across the room to her sister's aide when the man took a step forward, closing the space between them. Prepared to forsake her disguise and her life Harper started towards the stairs with the intent to protect her younger sister when Olivia reached a hand out and touched the man's wrist, a panicked look crossing her features.

"Oh, Livvy." Harper sighed, her eyes prickling with tears. The sight before her was like a knife to the heart, twisting the longer she watched Olivia remain rooted in place. She had known Olivia was involved in all this mess somehow but not like this, not with him. Swallowing past the lump in her throat Harper felt her stomach churn in disgust at the obvious. Olivia betrayed her.

The man shook Olivia off and hissed something causing her to flinch back in shock. As quick as she had recoiled Olivia recovered like the true Grant she was and mumbled something back causing the man in dreadlocks to tense. Despite feeling betrayed Harper felt a twinge of pride watching Olivia's lips moving rapidly, her cheeks flushing red as her eyes narrowed angrily.

"You gonna dance or get off the fücking stage."

The bitter tone felt like a bucket of ice water being dumped over her head as she realized where she was. Swallowing hard Harper spared a quick glance at the same large man who had stormed up to the the stage, his body a mere few inches from hers. He was huge. Taken by surprise by his sudden close proximity she stepped backwards. The man towered over the other people around him, his face nearly meeting hers despite the fact that she was on a stage. His balled fists seemed like two children sized bowling bowls at his sides. The anger in his dark eyes directed at Harper's frightened expression. The other dancers stopped to stare at the large man with a sliver of fear, one of them -the mermaid- sent Harper a sympathetic look.

From the corner of her eye Harper noticed the man in dreadlocks grip Olivia's arm his head snapping up towards the upper level as he dragged Olivia away with him. The protectiveness within Harper perked at the sight of her sister being dragged away like a child from the candy aisle.

  Gritting her teeth Harper whipped back around and glared daggers at the man standing before her deciding she didn't need to keep this charade up if Olivia was no longer here. Screw all these people watching her, they didn't know who she was. Her scent was concealed courtesy of a unnamed demon who left her a bottle of lavender spray. She had nothing to lose by showing this man a thing or two before she followed Olivia outside.

  With one hand wrapped tightly around the steel pole Harper took a step forward so she came to eye level with the large man and took a long whiff of the air between them. The scent of the forest, animal fur and a faint male cologne tickled her nostrils. Werewolf. Her inner huntress clawed beneath the surface, screeching to be released and teach the mutt just who he was dealing with, a fücking huntress. Not some human he probably expected to intimidate into submission.

The strangers' wolf must have sensed the sudden change within Harper, barring his teeth he growled low and menacingly in warning. One side of her mouth tipped upwards in amusement. If it wasn't for the minor ache in her chest and the weakness in her limbs Harper would have gladly released her huntress and all her pent up anger on the arrogant wolf. Hell she was itching for a good brawl like she use to have back in her Hunter days. No words or even a valid reason, just two people throwing their emotions into an unnecessary fight. For a nanosecond Harper wondered if she'd even be in this position if she had remained with the Hunters? Would Kiev have been able to manipulate her -would Olivia have betrayed her if she hadn't left?

   Pushing the questions into the back of her mind with all the other memories and thoughts about returning to her old life and locked them away to be forgotten. Releasing her hold on the pole Harper met the man stare for stare, snarl for snarl as she pressed straight against his chest. A glint of excitement twinkled in his dark eyes at the challenge presented before him and Harper hadn't missed the slight softening of his features. Fisting a hand full his gray T-shirt Harper tugged his body towards her intending to show him just how harsh her bite was when a voice she knew all to well echoed all around her. The deep growl bouncing around in her head like a small rubber ball, slapping against the walls of her head. Her knuckles turned a dangerous shade of white as she unknowingly clenched her fists at the sound of his voice. The tiny hairs on the back of her neck rose, her skin erupting in goosebumps as his deep, velvety tone washed over her like a sweet ballad. Loathing the way her heart slammed wildly against her ribs Harper felt the excitement coursing through her veins, pumping alongside her blood as she glanced over her shoulder.

The sight of Kiev stalking along the upper floor like a madman, brows pulled downwards, gaze searching for something or someone in a hurry, his lips curled into a snarl as he called out for a woman named Monica seemed surreal. Harper's legs wobbled beneath her as she followed his frantic movements telling herself she didn't care if he was here. That it didn't matter to her that he emerged from the same room as Olivia. It didn't bother her that he was here, in this feeding club after nearly killing her and then disappearing for days without a word. Except it did bother her and she knew it.

   The woman in the leather jumpsuit scrambled up the stairs to where Kiev stood, his gaze narrowing on the woman -Monica. A sharp pang shot through her chest at the sight of Kiev's hand resting on Monica's forearm. A dark cloud of jealousy replaced her shock, pairing with her underlying anger towards Kiev.

  Tears burned her throat and Harper couldn't deny the way her heart ached at the sight of him going about his business all these days while she suffered in silence, both physically and emotionally. Her hand twitched to rub at the dull throbbing in her chest in a vain attempt to soothe the heartache.

   Kiev tensed, his body stiffening in mid sentence. His expression darkened as his head swerved from left to right almost as if he sensed her heartache. Unprepared to face the demon so soon Harper smoothed her hand across the werewolf's chest and plastered a saucy smile on her face. Abandoning her plan to beat the crap out of the obnoxious asshole on account of the bigger asshole above, Harper realized she had to return to her original plan until Kiev was out of sight.

   Pushing at his chest Harper hopped off the stage relieved she hadn't worn heels like the other women had instructed. The werewolf -much like the other patrons and dancers- were stunned by the sudden turn of events as he was roughly shoved back into his seat. Placing one leg on either side of his long muscular thighs Harper flipped her hair to one side to conceal her face from Kiev.

  Leaning forward Harper pressed her lips to the shell of his ear while pushing her breasts in his face. "You have a very dirty mouth." She whispered for his ears only.

  Harper's spine stiffened when his hands cupped the gloves of her butt. Every cell in her body screamed in protest at the unwanted touch. Her skin crawled in disgust as he slid one hand across her thigh, his fingers grazing the bare skin showing courtesy of the gaping slit of her dress. Gritting her teeth Harper spared a quick glance above her with the hopes that Kiev had disappeared but was disappointed to find the demon in the same position. Dark, soulless eyes met her gaze forcing her to abruptly shift her stare in fear of being recognized.

  Turning her attention back to the man before her Harper lowered herself on to his lap forcing his wandering hand to slid onto her waist. Resisting her first instinct to yank his hand off of her Harper wrapped her arms around his neck, grazing the tips of her fingers across the nape of his neck teasingly.

"Yeah, what are you gonna do about it." The man asked his voice heavy with lust.

   Sinking her teeth into her bottom lip Harper had to suppress a shudder as she leaned forward. "What would you like me to do?" She asked seductively.

  A wicked grin flashed across his face as his fingers dug into her skin through the thin fabric of the dress. His erection dug into her bottom as he jerked his hips upwards in what she assumed was suppose to be a seductive gesture. Bile rose in her throat as she willed her body to remain still.

"How about you show me what's hiding beneath all this?" His left hand glided up her waist.

   Swatting his hand away Harper attempted to keep her expression soft and flirtatious. "How about a sneak peak instead?"

His eyes darkened with carnal desire as they slid along her body, taking in every exposed inch of her skin. Eagerly nodding in agreement he leaned back, keeping his hands against the outside of her thighs, his fingers stroking her soft skin. Tossing her hair over to the other side Harper peaked over her shoulder to where Kiev was standing. A mixture of relief and sadness filled her when her gaze found nothing but emptiness.

Putting the conflicting feelings to the back burner and turned her attention back to the werewolf she was sitting on. Although there was no need to continue with this charade Harper lingered on the thought a moment longer than expected. What would a small lap dance do anyway? For a thrill and a huge middle finger to Kiev as well. A broad grin spread across her face at the last part, this would piss the jerk off and that thought alone had Harper placing her hands on his shoulders.

"One dance." She whispered both for the werewolf and herself.

Rolling her hips in a full circle Harper exhaled and allowed herself a moment away from Kiev, heartache and all the drama that has unfolded in the last couple of months to be forgotten momentarily.

  Tilting her head upwards to avoid the stranger's predatory gaze, Harper wrapped her arms around his neck. The sensual rhythm washed over her, coaxing her tense muscles to relax as her body moved to its beat. Rocking her hips in slow circular motions she ran her fingertips up and down the back of his neck. A small smile touched her lips when the man groaned at the innocent touch. Sliding further on his lap Harper lowered her head to the side of his face, her lips lingering by his ear. His hot breath fanned her neck as she lifted and rubbed against his hardness feeling slightly aroused herself by the unexpected turn of events.

   The plan didn't include giving a random man a lap dance or enjoying it for that matter yet she was doing both. She suspected she enjoyed the thrill of the public display and the fact that it was spontaneous more than the actual lap dance or the man for that matter but she could care less. She deserved a bit of fun.

  The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end as wave of danger washed over her limbs. Lifting her head Harper felt her huntress hiss as a small shiver skittered down her spine. Something's wrong.

  The werewolf growled still consumed with desire to notice her sudden unease and thrust his hips upwards. His erection nudged her core, the flimsy silk gown and her panties barely separating her from the contact. A startled gasp tore from her lips at the unexpected contact that the werewolf took as encouragement. His fingers dug into her skin leaving small moon shaped marks across her thigh. Grimacing, Harper slid backwards and away from his death grip which caused her to rub alongside his throbbing cöck. A guttural sound rumbled through his chest and he continued to thrust his hips upwards.

   Warning bells rang in her head. Placing her hands on his shoulders she rocked against him trying to ignore the voice that screamed this was a bad idea. The rhythm he set was hard and fast, no teasing or gentleness involved -much like a dog fúcking a pole. Pushing the thought away Harper followed his lead watching as his features darken with every thrust and graze of their hips. The dangerous glint of passion lingered in his gaze caused another voice to whisper in protest against continuing but the more reckless side of her -the side that hated feeling like a caged animal- pushed her to pick up the pace of her thrusts. To toss her head back and moan as she felt her lower regions tingle with the first signs of arousal. The same voice encouraged her to stroke the taunt muscle of his chest as he cupped the side of her neck and pulled her down and plant his lips on the base of her neck.

A sharp knife like sensation forced a low hiss to leave her lips as she pulled backwards and away from his seeking lips. What the hell was that? Glancing down at her chest Harper pushed the laced fabric from her breasts and saw the dark circular mark over her heart had turned a violet purple and the small scar like marks that descended from the center grew in length, stretching out towards her torso and shoulders.

"That's much better." The man chuckled, mistaking Harper's observation of her chest as foreplay. His hands slid up across her waist and cupped her breasts.

The two different voices in her head reacted in unison to the nonconsensual touch. Shoving his hands away Harper felt her mind clear and quickly realized this was a mistake, coming down here, sneaking in as a dancer, taunting and teasing this man. It was all a big mistake. With the angry and rebellious thoughts wiped clear from her mind Harper was left with one problem, how to get out of the problem she created for herself.

"Come on baby, don't get cold feet now."

Opening her mouth to respond Harper didn't notice the darkness that curled around her upper arms nor the bone chilling fingers register in her mind until she felt her body jerk backwards. The air woodshed from her lungs as her body crashed into another body. Head still spinning from the abrupt movement Harper could barely hear the words being spoken to her as too many pairs of slender, warm hands clutched and nudged her into a crowd of bodies. Almost as if they were shielding her from something or someone.

"You should keep your head down." Someone whispered softly. "The boss is really pissed."

Puzzled by the words being spoken Harper lifted her head and noticed the dancers had gotten off the stage and had formed a protective circle around her, the woman in the leather bodysuit -Monica was holding her by the elbows, a look of concern marring her beautiful features. Craning her head over the many women huddled around her Harper's gaze widened as she saw something that caused her to step back in shock at the image before her.

   Kiev stood in the midst of a dark fog, shadowy figures screeching and hissing around their master, his chest rose and fell heavily with every harsh breath. Fingers trembling, knees wobbly  Harper found her gaze dropping to his clenched fists, his blood soaked fists. The red liquid trickled along his forearm, along his wrist and dripped off of his knuckles and onto the unmoving body crumpled at his feet. Stumbling backwards Harper felt her body sway at the sight of the werewolf sprawled across the marble floor in a pool of his own blood, eyes staring blankly ahead with his mouth agape.

  Harper clamped a hand over her mouth to muffle the sob that crawled its way up her throat. Through tear filled eyes she stared at his neck where a large gaping, gruesome hole revealed where his throat use to be. Now it was tossed over his lifeless body as his murder stood over him.

"Shhh, it's okay. Kiev won't hurt you." Monica cooed as the other women stroked her arms in the hopes of wiping the terrorized look off her face.

   Except he did hurt her.

    Hot tears slid along her carefully golden dusted cheeks as she turned her attention to the rigid back of Kiev. Sensing her gaze he twisted on his heels causing an ear shattering screech to echo in the club as the shroud of shadows moved along with him. A heavy blanket of darkness filled the wide spaced area as a sudden chill whipped into the room. Despite the goosebumps erupting across her body and the wild thudding of her heart in her ears Harper couldn't tear her eyes away from Kiev.

  The handsome features she knew all too well were swallowed away by a dark and twisted burgundy tinted face that she didn't recognize. Gone was the perfectly groomed facial hair covering a shapely strong jaw, those full lips were no where to be found. Instead a hallow faced demon with ombré maroon skin stared back at her, his eerie bottomless, coal like eyes piercing her soul. A growl rumbled from his chest as he took a step forward.

   Shaking her head Harper shrunk into the many bodies surrounding her as he came closer, his presence causing two polar opposite reactions within her and both reactions terrified her. She couldn't trust Kiev he has proven why she shouldn't  time and time again yet her traitorous body craved for his closeness, to reach her arms out and close the distance between them. Her legs tingled with the overwhelming urge to run very far from the monster stalking towards her.

  Two other females rubbed her arms and whispered words of encouragement and reassurance but their words fell on deaf ears. Between her frantic, traitorous heart thudding against her ribcages and the sobs burning her throat Harper felt like a terrified child meeting her nightmare, her monster.

  Kiev shook his head, clenching and unclenching his fist almost as if he was shaking something off. The shadows slowly receded back into the corners of the room, the most of bone chilling coldness disappearing with them but not before a curled shadow grazed her ankle and lingered at her feet and then finally following the other shadows back into hiding.

   Suppressing a shudder Harper felt the soothing hands drop from her arms like dead flies as the women separated, leaving an opening in the once protective circle. Kiev stepped into her small haven, his fingers still dripping with blood. Swallowing hard to keep from hurling as the metallic smell tickled her nose Harper stepped back even as her eyes never tore from his face.

   His lips pressed together firmly, his once crimson skin now washed away by a rich bronze complexion, those haunting black, bottomless eyes however remained and they were burning a hole into her soul.

"Come."

   The command was clear, the authority rang in her head and the tone harsh and impatient yet even as her legs started towards him Harper clung onto Monica's arm in an attempt to avoid the inevitable. The woman sent Harper an apologetic look as she peeled her fingers away from Harper's death grip leaving her at Kiev's mercy.

Swiping at her cheeks with the back of her hands Harper noticed she was trembling and wondered if it was out of fear of being handed over to Kiev like an appetizer or out of pure rage as their last encounter played in her mind like a silent movie.

"All of you get back to work." He snarled darkly at the female onlookers. His dark emotionless eyes fell on her, Harper swallowed hard a pair of cold fingers wrapped around her upper arm.

Turning on his heels Kiev stormed towards the stairs as his extended hands dragged Harper behind him like a disobedient child. Sneaking a glance around she realized the entire club, both staff and customers had witnessed the dramatic scene and were now gawking after her as invisible led her to her doom. Lowering her head to hide her face she hoped no one recognized her or worse, discovered her scent as a huntress. With so many eyes following her Harper knew this wasn't the time to fight, she would have to follow the lion back to his den.

So she kept her head low and descended up the stairs without resisting, she walked swiftly past the people on the upper level with her gaze trained on her bare feet and didn't struggle as the hands pushed her into a room at the end of the upper level and slammed the door shut.

Now out of view from the many eyes Harper lifted her gaze and wished she hadn't when her saucer like eyes clashed with black onyx orbs filled with fury. Before she could blink Harper felt his hands grip her shoulders roughly and give her a harsh shake as if to ensure she was actually there.

"Have you lost your fùcking mind?" He growled.

*************

Well has she?!?! Lol that's up to you guys to decide. As always give me your thoughts and outrageously hilarious and sometimes violent comments lol. Btw the next chapter is already updated ;) no waiting to see the drama unfold this time.